Making Rope Sandals

Rope sandals have been around since the late 1960s. They became popular because they are lightweight, washable and can be worn anywhere. They are also very simple to make, as the process involves only cutting pieces of rope and melting them together. You shouldn't use just any type of rope, however. Polypropylene rope should be used because of its lightweight, comfortable feel and low melting point.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need -

Polypropylene rope Knife or Good Scissors Lighter or Candle String (optional)

Step One - Take a large amount of polypropylene rope and cut out 10 to 20 pieces a foot long each (hint smaller rope makes for a more comfortable sandal). Lay enough pieces side by side to cover the entire width of your foot and form the sole of the shoe.

Step Two - Melt the ropes until they are fused together. Polypropylene rope melts at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so any type of lighter or candle should work. Heat the ropes slowly to fuse them together strand by strand. Once one piece of rope has been melted and fused, let it cool before moving on to another piece.

Step Three - Cut the sole to match the length and shape of your foot. You'll only need to cut them at the ends of the ropes and not the sides. Approximately match it to the shape of your toes and heel.

Step Four - Wrap another piece of rope around the circumference of the soles you just created. Melt and fuse this rope to the soles to form an outer edge. You may want to create a second or even third layer (like the Gurkees shown above) by repeating all the above steps and melting the layers of soles together.

Step Five - Add the straps to the soles. This is where you can get creative. You can use as many rope pieces for straps and overlap them in any way you want. Just make sure they're at the right height and arch that your feet are comfortable while wearing them. Melt the edge of each strap to the outer edge of the soles or better yet melt the straps onto the bottom or second layer before melting on the top layer (Like the Gurkees shown above) this way they are sandwiched between two layers and will last longer. The straps on the Gurkees above use a thicker rope than the sole use.

Step Six - Repeat all of the above to make the second sandal.

Play around with this and before you know it you'll be making rope sandals LIKE A PRO -)

PS – By the way, they are extremely comfortable and durable. Great for walking in rivers as they don't slip on the moss -)